The Problem with Nagato
by TheAnimeFicWriter
Summary: Nagato has finally confessed her love to Mutsu and things are great. However, Mutsu is a little bothered by this confession. Is it real or is it fake?
1. Chapter 1

The Problem with Nagato

Chapter 1

A Normal Day with Nagato

 **Note:** If you guys remember, and I really hope you don't, I made a Nagato x Mutsu story a while back. However, that story didn't really end the way I wanted to so I decided to write another one in an attempt to leave a better taste in all of our mouths. This one won't be trying to continue off the old one. It'll be something new so be sure to let me know how I did since I grow off of your comments being good or bad.

Mutsu wakes up every morning like she usually do. It always seems like she oversleeps, but it's just the fact that her roommate starts off her day even earlier than Mutsu. She always try to wake up with her, but there's always something that prevents her from doing so. As her roommate climbs out of bed, she slowly tries to do the same. Before Mutsu could even throw off the blankets, her roommate leans over and kisses her on the cheek. That's when Mutsu loses all of her strength to go on. To her, there's only one person who can make her feel this way and that's Nagato.

During the day, the two of them spend a lot of time together, but it seems as if Nagato is a completely different person from when they're at home. She's constantly worrying about the war and the Admiral's orders while Mutsu is in the background watching her every move. Mutsu knows that Nagato is a work-a-holic so trying to stick her butt in Nagato's progress wasn't the best idea in the world.

Unfortunately, this was the only time where Mutsu felt lonely. Once the orders stopped coming in from the Admiral for the day, their jobs were complete and Nagato resorted back to her calm, loving side. However, the only person who got to see this side of Nagato was Mutsu. Nagato constantly made sure that Mutsu was comfortable and happy.

Now, Mutsu didn't mind this at all since this was like her dream come true. It just seemed like Nagato was forcing herself to act like this just to make Mutsu even happier.

…

"Is that everything, Admiral?"

"Yes. You are dismissed for the day."

"Understood. Thank you." Nagato put the radio back on its stand and collapsed onto the chair behind her. She pressed her hands against her head and sighed out loud. "What a long day."

"I bet you're tired." Mutsu came up behind her and put her hands on her shoulder to give them a gentle rub.

"Of course I'm not." At that moment, Nagato got out of her chair and spun around to face Mutsu. "Anyway, how are you? Are you alright?" Nagato had Mutsu's hands in hers.

"I'm fine. It's not like anything happened. We've been in HQ all day."

"I know… It's just…" Nagato drooped at a little to the floor, but Mutsu was there to lift her back up.

"You worry too much." Mutsu leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "Let's go home and I'll cook dinner tonight."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. We all know that I'm the only one who can cook in this relationship."

"You didn't have to be so blunt about it."

"Haha, I'm sorry." Mutsu took Nagato's hand and guided her back to their room.

…

When they got back to their room. Nagato couldn't help but collapse onto the bed. It's wasn't that she was tired; she just liked the feel of her bed after a long day of work. Meanwhile. Mutsu changed out of her uniform and into her dress shirt, but only her dress shirt. In the beginning of their relationship, Nagato couldn't stand the sight of Mutsu's ridiculous apparel, but she's been able to get over it. Once Mutsu was changed, she headed towards the kitchen and started to make dinner.

Nagato was still lying on the bed, but once she heard Mutsu come back into the room, she sat back and kept her eyes on her. From afar, she could only stare at her body. Nagato wasn't for searching for someone who could give her a good time, but Mutsu was literally the perfect person for her. She was beautiful, loving, and had the most perfect body. In situations like this, Nagato found herself pretty much checking out Mutsu. Her long, bare legs were so sexy that it made it hard for Nagato to resist her. Her hourglass waist was that of a world-class model. But the thing that counted the most was Mutsu's face. Her hazel eyes had a direct path to Nagato's heart.

"Hey Nagato, I decided to go with curry tonight. I hope you're okay with that." Mutsu's comment managed to snap Nagato out of her trance because she was staring abnormally hard at Mutsu.

"Oh, yeah, that's fine."

"Okay good because it's almost done. I hope you're…"

At that moment, Nagato came up behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist and rested her head on her shoulder.

"N-Nagato?"

"I'm sorry. I just couldn't resist."

"It's alright. Just be careful next time because I nearly dropped the pot."

Nagato didn't respond. She just held Mutsu in her arms and let her warmth travel from her own body to Mutsu's. This was where Mutsu was vulnerable. Nagato, when she wanted to, was the best at comforting others. When Mutsu's in her arms, she always felt safe and warm. This side of Nagato was something special that she couldn't deny. It just felt a little unreal though.

"Alright, let's eat. I'm getting hungry myself." Mutsu managed to break free of Nagato's hold on her and make her way towards the dinner table. She set up to plates and served the food.

Right as Nagato took her first bite, she was in love. There was no denying that Mutsu's cooking was one of the best among the fleet girls. Mutsu always managed to make the simplest of foods taste like something out of a five-star restaurant. Meanwhile, Mutsu watched Nagato eat her food. Dinner was one of the only times where they didn't really talk to each other. This was also the time for Mutsu to figure out what was going on. The two of them have only really been a thing for about a couple of months and that came out of nowhere. Nagato was the one to confess to Mutsu and she accepted without question. Now that they're together, Mutsu couldn't help but wonder if there was something else going on here.

Once dinner was done, Nagato decided to take the first shower. However, she was in for quite the surprise. Just a few minutes after starting her shower, the shower door slid open and in walked Mutsu. She slowly walked towards Nagato and grabbed the loofah out of Nagato's hand. She put some more soap on it and started to wash Nagato's back. As she did this, she couldn't help but notice Nagato's perfect skin. Nagato never showed her body like some of the other fleet girls, but Mutsu was almost jealous that she was hiding this away.

Only a few seconds after Mutsu started washing Nagato's body, Nagato turned around and gently pinned Mutsu against the wall to steal a kiss from her lips. This came out of nowhere, making it impossible for Mutsu to defend herself. As their kiss continue, Nagato gently caressed Mutsu's breasts which caused a soft moan in Mutsu's voice.

"Mutsu, I love you."

At that moment, Mutsu's eyes shot open. She mustered up all of the strength she could and pushed Nagato off of her.

"What's…" Nagato couldn't even finish her sentence. She saw a look of hurt in Mutsu's eyes as she exited the shower in a quick fashion. This, of course, left a bad taste in Nagato's mouth so she turned off the shower and chased after her. When she made it out of the bathroom, she looked around to see Mutsu standing on the back porch of their house. Nagato slowly went outside to where Mutsu was. "Mutsu, are you okay? Did I do something to hurt you?"

There was no response. There was just a soft sniffle.

"Please… If I hurt you, please let me know. I don't want this thought in my mind that…"

Mutsu suddenly turned around and called her out.

"Am I not good enough for you?!" Her question left the area completely silent. Mutsu looked at Nagato with watery eyes and Nagato looked at Mutsu with confused eyes.

"Huh?"

"You say that you love me, but you've never asked me to marry you. After all of this time where I got to meet the true Nagato, you've never asked me to marry you."

"Well, that's because…"

"Everyone else is getting married. Kaga-san asked Akagi-san to marry her and now, their strength can't be rivalled by anyone else in the fleet. Why won't you do that for me?"

"Because…"

"It's because you don't really love, right? Before all of this, I always hinted at you that I loved you and wanted to be by your side. You eventually gave in and just decided to say that you love me back even though you don't. Isn't that true? If you say that you don't want to hurt me… You're doing it right now. You're just doing all of this out of guilt. Why?"

"Because I can't see you getting hurt anymore!"

"Huh?"

End of Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2

The Problem with Nagato

Chapter 2

Reasons

 **Note:** Hey everyone. I wanted to apologize for not updating this story sooner. Apparently, Microsoft had its annual update a few days ago and my computer literally had a stroke to where I was unable to use it during that time period. Thankfully, that's done and over with so I get back to working on my writing. I hope you enjoy the update and maybe I'll back from you as well.

"What do you mean?"

"T-The first battle we were in together… You were ambushed and nearly sunk. If I was paying attention to what was going on at the time, you would have never had to experience that. I blame myself every day for that incident."

"You don't need to worry about that. But still… Why won't you ask me to marry you? You love me, don't you?"

"I do. I just… If I marry you and then something bad happens to you… I don't think I could live with myself. Putting you closer to my heart while being unable to protect you. That's something I can't do."

"But what we have now is pretty much the same thing?"

"No it's not. Marriage is something entirely different. I'd be giving you my heart and you'd be giving yours to me."

"Don't you want that?"

"Not if it means making you suffer because of me trying to do everything in my power to protect you."

"But you're strong, Nagato. Nothing could ever defeat you."

"You don't know that. The Abyssals are constantly bringing new enemies to our midst. We have to be on our toes at all times or else we'll never win this war."

"So you won't ask me to marry you?"

"I'm sorry. I just can't."

"I see."

Mutsu suddenly dropped her head and walked back into the house. All Nagato could do was watch her as she turned off the lights and climbed into bed. That's when she sighed and turned back around towards the sea.

"I'm sorry Mutsu…" Nagato stood out on the balcony for some time just trying to clear her head. Eventually, the lights from inside the house turned off indicating that Mutsu had turned in for the night.

Meanwhile, Nagato was thinking long and hard about this. Marriage has always been on her mind, but for her, she knew that it was best that she didn't ask the question. Over the years, she seen ships marry each other and break down in heartbreak after something bad happened. It's not like she would be the kind of person to do that. It's just that she was afraid that Mutsu would be that kind of person. Compared to her, Mutsu was a very fragile person with a soft heart. Death of a loved one just doesn't seem like something that she could take lightly.

A couple of hours went by and Nagato finally decided to turn in as well. She walked back into the house and could hear the soft breathing of Mutsu sleeping. She walked over to her side of the bed and looked over at Mutsu. She had her back turned away from Nagato's side of the bed. There was no response. She was done for the day and Nagato had to accept that. That's when she climbed into bed and tried falling asleep.

"Good night Mutsu."

…

When the next day came around, Nagato was the first one up. Her eyes were immediately introduced to an urgent coming from the Admiral. She jumped out of bed and quickly got ready. Before she left, she looked at Mutsu and could tell that she was crying for most of the night. Her eyes were puffy and her breathing was still a little rough. She wanted to do something about this, but the Admiral was calling her so she left the house and headed up to HQ.

"Apologies for the late start Admiral. What are your orders?"

"Abyssals are amassing just off the coast of one of our islands. I'm putting together a squadron and having them sent out as soon as possible."

"What are the circumstances of this?"

"They're not that big of a threat, but one of their major carriers is in that group so my plan is to eliminate now."

"Understood. Do you already have the squadron ready?"

"I have a good idea and was actually about to send them the orders as well. I needed most of the strong ships so I have Akagi and Kaga, the Kongou unit, Shimakaze and Amatsukaze, Tenryuu and Tatsuta, and Mutsu."

At that moment, Nagato's heart dropped. Why did he call her name? He named all of their biggest names in the fleet and the last one just had to be Mutsu. She had to do something about this.

"Admiral, pardon me for my intrusion, but why are you picking Mutsu?"

"Because she's one of the strongest battleships and I need you in HQ. I'm about to send out of the orders…"

"You don't need to let Mutsu know. She's right next to me."

"Alright then. I leave the rest to you, Nagato."

Their conversation stopped there. Nagato suddenly slammed her fist on the table. Then, she stormed over to the door to see if Mutsu was making her way to HQ. Thankfully, she was still nowhere to be seen and this was when Nagato made her call. She walked back into HQ and left a message for Mutsu for whenever she decided to arrive there. Once she was done, she headed to the docks where her squadron was assigned to meet.

"I trust you all received some kind of message from the Admiral."

"We did, but he said that you would explain most of the details."

"And I will. The Abyssals are amassing around one of the islands that we currently have control of. The reason why he called you here is because we are going to cut them down. One of their major carriers in that group and the Admiral believes this is crucial to our success in this war."

"And that is why he called us here, desu! The Admiral really does love me."

"Does anybody else have any questions?" Nagato looked around and could see that they were all ready for this assault. "Alright. Let's head out."

At that moment, they stepped onto their platforms and suited up for the vast seas. Right as she cleared the docks, Nagato couldn't shake the thought that Mutsu could have been in this situation. Normally, Nagato isn't one to worry about small things like this, but there was something strange about this assault. Aside from Yamato not being here, all of their strongest ships were involved in this. This could only mean that this fight could get ugly. That's when she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. If this fight would be difficult, Nagato knew that it was best to leave Mutsu out of it.

An hour after the squad left, Mutsu arrived at HQ. Her eyes were still a little tire d so she rubbed them as she walked through the door. Unfortunately, when she got a good look at HQ, Nagato wasn't there. The only other person there was Ooyodo, doing her normal work.

"Ah Mutsu-san, there's a note for you on the table."

Mutsu turned her head and to see a small note on the center table of HQ. She walked over to it and picked it up to read.

 _Mutsu, I've been called away on a mission so don't worry about me. I'll be back soon. I leave HQ and the base under your care. ~Nagato_

"Ooyodo, did you know about this?"

"Yes. The Admiral gave the synopsis just now. Apparently, they are attacking a major Abyssal squadron."

"Who did he send?"

"He sent all of the strongest ships that were available at the time."

Mutsu didn't want to listen any longer. She ran outside and looked towards the horizon. The sun was already high up in the sky. Nothing out of the ordinary was catching her attention. The view was crystal clear with no danger in sight. Unfortunately, Mutsu couldn't afford to think like that. This mission had to be important for the Admiral to call upon the help of Nagato. She clenched her fist and pressed it against her chest.

"Nagato, you better come back to me."

End of Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3

The Problem with Nagato

Chapter 3

A Lonely Heart

Day quickly turned to night, but there was no sign of Nagato or her squadron. Mutsu didn't hear anything from the Admiral so she could only assume that the battle was still raging on. This, however, angered her. She wanted to be by Nagato's side, fighting this war with her instead of waiting on the sidelines for something to happen. She waited in the HQ until the moon was towering over the base. When no word came from anyone, she was forced to head home.

When she got back, she immediately took a shower with the hope that her worried would be able to disappear after such a long day. Unfortunately, the longer she stayed in the shower, the more that pain in her chest became evident. That's when she turned off the water and fell to the floor in tears.

"Why is this happening? Why are you doing this? I'm more than capable of fighting this war with you. Why do you force yourself to be my shield? You may think it makes what we have right now possible… It doesn't. It kills me slowly and you're not even aware of it." Mutsu stayed on the shower floor for a little while longer.

Once she regained her strength, she dried herself off and headed back into the room. She looked at the bed and saw that it was empty. Knowing that it was only for tonight made the bed look even bigger than it already was. She turned off the light and laid herself down on her side of the bed.

Nothing was going on. The room was silent except for the soft ticking of the clock. At the same time, her heartbeat was having a war with the clock. The two sounds boomed like bass drums while Mutsu was trying to flush all of the sound out. It was no use. The constantly drumming nearly drove her insane. She suddenly climbed out of bed, grabbed her clothes, and made her way to the beach.

The night always caused the sea to grow a little furious, but tonight seemed very calm. The waters were very still and she could barely even hear the swelling of the tide rolling in. She walked down the beach until she grew tired and sat down on the soft sand. She looked up to see the bright mooning on top of her.

"Nagato, I know you care about me. Even if what you said is true. The reason why you're out there and not with me is because you're afraid. You keep such a strong front, but in all actuality, you're even more fragile than me."

The tide rolled up to her feet, sending a chill through her body. She knew that it was just water, but she couldn't help but feel that this cold sensation was more than just it being nighttime. Mutsu stayed on the beach all night, hoping that the squadron would return, but nothing showed up. The night was as quiet as could be. Eventually, Mutsu tired herself out from thinking too much and slept on the beach.

When morning came around, sunrise immediately woke her up from her sleep. Before thinking about herself, she looked around to see if the squadron made it back, but there was no sign of them. After that, she quickly made her way to HQ where Ooyodo was already working.

"Have you heard anything back from the squadron or the Admiral?"

"No. everything is silent. It's making me worry."

"I know. Worrying shouldn't be something we do, but I can't help but feel that something is wrong."

The two of them waited in HQ for something, anything. They were manning the radio, watching over the bay, and pacing the floor, but nothing came up. HQ was as silent as a tomb. However, Mutsu was going insane. All of the other times that she could remember, the radio was blowing up with Intel and communications from everyone, including the Admiral. Now, it was as if she and Ooyodo were the only two people left alive in the empire.

"What is going on here?!"

"Mutsu-san?!"

"I'm tired of waiting like this. The Admiral or someone should have ordered another squadron to go out and support them. Communications should never be this quiet."

"Perhaps the enemy is suppressing their forces, making it impossible to get a signal out."

"That doesn't excuse the fact the Admiral has not shed a word to us about what is going on. He is overseeing this war so he should constantly be filling us in about the war."

"Mutsu-san, please calm down."

At that moment, the base siren went off which caused Mutsu and Ooyodo to look out the window. Once their eyes adjusted to the outside light, they saw the squadron returning. The only bad thing was that they were being pursued by enemy forces.

"Special Destroyers: Shimakaze and Amatsukaze. Prep for defensive maneuvers. All carriers in the area, launch your fighter pilots. We must bring our squadron into the bay."

The entire base started up again. Shimakaze and Amatsukaze quickly suited up and headed out to sea to intercept the enemy forces. Meanwhile, the available carriers launched their planes into the air to provide aerial support. The enemy ships tried shooting their planes down, but the two destroyers took them down before they could. The quick action by Mutsu and the swift maneuvers by the destroyers secured the squadron back into the base. That's when Mutsu left HQ to meet up with the freshly returned group.

Unfortunately, when she met up with them at the bay docks, Nagato was badly damaged. Kongou and Kaga were barely keeping her up, but it was obvious that she was unconscious.

"Let's get her to the docks as quickly as possible."

"The Admiral gave us orders that she's to go to the factory."

"Factory? Why?"

"Her damages are too great for the docks to repair. But enough of that, we need to get her there now." Without wasting anymore time, the two of them pushed through the crowd and carried Nagato to the factory.

Once Nagato made it to the factory, the entire building was shut off from anyone else. News that one of their secretary ships sustained heavy damage spread across the base like wildfire, causing everyone to crowd around the building and show their support for their beloved Nagato.

Dawn approached them faster than anyone could have expected. All of the girls were waiting outside of the factory with the hope that they'd be able to get some good news. Unfortunately, there was none for them. One by one, they slowly left the building in sadness. They wanted to see how she was doing, but judging by the circumstances of the situation, that just wouldn't be possible. The last people to stay were Mutsu and Yamato. Mutsu was trying to hold back the tears with all of her strength while Yamato was keeping her normal façade on.

"Mutsu, don't worry. Nagato will come back to us in no time. I'm sure she appreciates you waiting for her, but you need to get some rest as well." With those words reaching Mutsu, Yamato turned around and left her alone. That's when Mutsu lost it completely.

She dropped to her knees and started to wail.

"No, this can't be happening! You promised to come back to me! This doesn't count! You lied to me! How could you do this?! You're stronger than all of us combined. There's no reason for you to be in the there." She clenched her fist as tight as she could, but only tapped the side of the building. "Why are you doing this," she asked softly.

"Mutsu-san?" At that moment, a small hand was placed on her shoulder which forced Mutsu to quickly wipe herself off.

"It's fine. I'm fine." She turned her head and saw Fubuki standing next to her.

"Fubuki-chan? What are you doing here?"

"I heard you and I was worried."

"Oh, thank you for showing concern, but I'm fine. I just… I wasn't myself. You don't need to worry about me. Head back to your quarters. It's been a long day."

End of Chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4

The Problem with Nagato

Chapter 4

Fallen Nagato

Mutsu stayed outside the factory until the middle of the night. Once she saw that no one was around and the staff inside the building reduced to its minimum, she snuck in and searched for Nagato. The building was quite big so Mutsu spent some time figuring out where Nagato was. After a few minutes of searching behind curtains, she found Nagato and immediately, she regretted finding her.

Her entire body was covered in Abyssal veins. From her eyes to her legs, glowing streaks were covering her body. It was almost painful to look at, but she had to look. She wanted to be with Nagato no matter what so she grabbed the chair and pulled it next to the bed. She then grabbed Nagato's hand and held it tight.

"I'm so sorry. If only I was with you, this wouldn't have happened." She gripped her hand even tighter and started to cry. "Why do you do this? Why do you try to prove that you're strong? Everybody knows that you're strong and yet, you try to do more than what's needed. Why?"

Mutsu could no longer talk. The pain of being with Nagato at this point in time was just too much. She stood up from her chair and leaned her body right over Nagato's. She gently placed her hands on Nagato's cheek and kissed her.

"I love you. I want to be with you. I want to be your special person. I don't care what you say. If you won't marry me then I will marry you."

There was still no response. Nagato's body was completely still and silent. That's when Mutsu lost it. Tears started to fall from her face and onto Nagato's body. She tried wiping away her tears, but they continued to fall. Even though Nagato couldn't see her, she didn't want to appear weak in front of her. She turned around and left the building completely in ruins.

…

When the next day came around, Mutsu got ready as she normally did and headed to HQ. When she got there, Ooyodo was already working, but hearing Mutsu enter HQ made her turn around. The two of them looked at each other with sad eyes, knowing that an important person would not be joining them inside of HQ.

The morning was pretty quiet for the both of them. No new orders came in from the Admiral and nothing was communicated between patrolling squads out at sea. Even between the two of them, not a lot of words were spoken. They just felt that it would better if no one talked. They didn't really have a reason to talk unless it was about Nagato and they knew that it was still too early to talk about it. As the morning continued to drag on, more and more reports started to come in about mysterious lone ship circling the port. It wasn't until one of the factory workers blew through the door when things started to get interesting.

"Mutsu-san, something terrible has happened."

Immediately after hearing those words, she knew that it had to do with Nagato.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Nagato-san. She's gone."

"Gone? How could she be gone? She was completely fine last night, wasn't she?"

"Yeah, and that's what's confusing us. We had her monitored up until this morning when we realized that she was no longer in the building. We looked all over, but couldn't find her anywhere. I think we should put a notice for her."

"Alright. I'll do that now."

Beep beep. The three of them turned their heads and saw that the radio was being called on. Ooyodo picked the communicator and opened the channel.

"Report."

"This is Taiho. I've got my sights on the lone ship that's been circling the bay."

Ooyodo turned her head and looked at Mutsu. Mutsu walked over to the radio and grabbed it from Ooyodo's hand.

"What is your status and location?"

"Undiscovered and about 3 clicks out from the bay."

"Alright. Stay on them and report any strange activity. I'll send you some reinforcements."

"Thank you. Taiho out."

Mutsu clicked off the radio and went to the PA system.

"Attention fleet girls, be on the lookout for Nagato. There's been a report that she is no longer in the factory grounds. I need all eyes looking for her as this is one of the highest priorities of the day. If anyone finds her and knows anything about her whereabouts, come report to HQ at once. Thank you."

"So what do you think is going on?"

"With the lone ship?"

Ooyodo nodded her head.

"It's hard to tell because Abyssals almost rarely travel alone. There's no way it would be ours because I don't have any information about a lone patrol going on today. The only one that is active is Taiho and that's because that's her job."

"Hm, that's really strange."

"Yeah it is."

An hour went by and they didn't hear back from anyone. Mutsu dispatched Tenryuu and Tatsuta out to help Taiho, but they still didn't give her any solid information. All they told her that it was a ship that they couldn't identify. They tried to get close, but their attempts always failed. The lone ship did not show any signs of hostility aside from wandering the seas by itself. Finally, it made a move that caused everyone to take immediate action.

The alarm sounded which meant an immediate threat. Mutsu and Ooyodo looked around, but didn't see anything going on. It wasn't until Mutsu looked up to see a shell headed right for HQ. She grabbed Ooyodo and busted through the window. With just enough time, they landed on the beach right outside HQ. Unfortunately, HQ was completely destroyed.

"We need all hands on deck. We are capturing this ship now."

"Of course." Ooyodo activated her headset and contacted everyone at the base. "All hands on deck. Report to the docks for sortie. This is not a drill."

At that moment, they could feel the entire base rumble at the simultaneous exodus of girls to the docks. They all suited up and followed the lead of Mutsu. Once they made it out to sea, they met Taiho's group and pursued the lone ship. The odd thing about the whole thing was that the ship was very difficult to catch. Even Shimakaze and Amatsukaze barely kept up with it, but the longer they pursued it, the more it started to look familiar to Mutsu.

When the sun started to reach the horizon, the lone ship finally stopped it progress. The entire naval fleet surrounded it and made sure that there was no way it could escape. Mutsu broke through the fleet of girls and approached the ship slowly. When she neared it, she immediately knew who it was. It was Nagato. However, it wasn't the Nagato that they knew. Her figure was exactly like how everyone knew her to be, but her actually physical appearance was completely different. Those Abyssal veins from the night before seemed to have increased. One of Nagato's eyes was glowing blue while the other one was still normal. Mutsu slowly approached her and gently spoke out to her.

"Nagato?"

There was no response. She just jumped at the sound of her name.

"What are you doing out here?"

She still refused to respond.

"Why don't you come back with us? You're not well right now, but we'll return you to your normal health. How does that sound?" Even though she wasn't showing it, Mutsu was scared out of her mind. She didn't know why Nagato was like this and why she was behaving in this manner. It scared her to think about it. And yet, she had to keep a strong front because she cared about this woman more than anything in the world. She wanted to be the one to bring her back even though she didn't even know what was wrong with her.

End of Chapter 4


	5. Chapter 5

The Problem with Nagato

Chapter 5

Quarrel at the Base

"It's alright Nagato. You can trust me."

It took a few seconds, but Nagato slowly started to drift Mutsu's way. It was just a slight gesture, but she was already feeling better about the situation. Unfortunately, that comfortable sense of mind didn't last as Mutsu heard a cannon blast from a few hundred meters away. When it was too late, the shell came screeching towards the two of them.

"No…" Mutsu couldn't believe what was happening.

Boom! She closed her eyes and braced for impact, but it never came around. When she opened her eyes, she saw Nagato standing her in front of her. She deflected the shell away from them. Then she looked to the horizon and saw the fleet making its way toward them.

"No! Stop!"

The siren blared indicating an Abyssal attack which meant that all hands were on deck. As they drew near, Nagato sailed out to sea, leaving Mutsu behind. After a few seconds, Kongou and her sisters made sure Mutsu was alright while everyone laid down fire on Nagato. As this happened, Mutsu tried talking sense into them. She told them that it was Nagato. Of course, they didn't believe her so they continue to fire on her until she showed signs of retreat.

Shells were launched and planes were filling the skies. The longer this quarrel went on, the more Abyssals started to show up. It almost seemed as if they were being attracted to this fight. After a while, Mutsu was able to return to her feet, but in doing so only made it harder to find Nagato in that mess. The fight was getting nasty on all sides so there was only one thing she could so. She had to guarantee her fleet safety. This fight was meaningless so she had to figure out a way to end it quickly. Without saying a word, she sailed out towards the middle of the fight where everyone could see her.

"Cease fire!" Kongou called out to everyone so that Mutsu wouldn't be hit.

Unfortunately, that didn't apply to both sides. The Abyssals continued to fire until one shell was heading right for Mutsu. She didn't see this one until it was too late. The explosion caught everyone's attention, even the Abyssals side. Once they saw that the fleet was heading in to aid Mutsu, they pulled out and brought Nagato along with them.

The last thing Mutsu saw before blacking out was Nagato looking right at her as she was surrounded by other Abyssals. It wasn't a scary look, but it wasn't a remorseful look either. It looked as though it was a look of defeat.

…

"Nagato… Ow!" Her eyes shot open and she jerked her body uncontrollably as she found her herself resting in the docks.

"Oh good, you're alright." Akagi and Kaga were waiting right next to her until she came to. "How do you feel?"

"Ugh… What happened?" Mutsu grabbed her shoulder and her head as she felt the pain return to consciousness.

"You took a shell head-on. Thankfully, everyone was there or else we wouldn't have been able to bring you back as quickly as we did."

"Uhh…" Mutsu was at a loss for words since she's been out for a good amount of time. However, it only took her a few seconds to realize what was going on and ask them herself. "Where's Nagato?"

"What do you mean? Nagato has been missing ever since that incident."

"No, that's not true at all. She was out there during that quarrel."

"What are you talking about? We didn't see her. We definitely would have seen her if she was really out there."

"You didn't see her because her body was turned into an Abyssal."

At that moment, the entire room went silent. Akagi and Kaga tried to avoid the weird looks, but those were the only things that were coming out. They looked at Mutsu just in case and then looked at each other to make sure that there was nothing wrong with themselves. Once their analysis checked out, they resumed the conversation with her.

"Are you sure? That seems highly unlikely."

"Kaga-san is right. Fleet girls can't just turn into Abyssals. It just doesn't make any sense."

"Of course it doesn't, and that's exactly why I'm correct. There's so much that we don't understand about Abyssals that Nagato was one of them. I don't know how, but we need to find her. We need to get her back before something worse happens to her."

"Well, don't worry. We already have a squad out there looking for anything that could help us out."

"But they don't know what they're looking for. I need to be out." Mutsu tried standing up before her legs had no strength in them to operate as they should.

"You can't. The Admiral gave us strict instructions to keep on you. he told us that Mutsu was to remain in the docks until a full recovery was assured."

"That's so stupid. Doesn't he have Insta-Heal? You should know about that, Akagi. You got some that one time."

"He knew you'd ask about that. All Super supplies have been depleted by our sister fleet in Britain."

"Damn English," Mutsu said under her breath. "Whatever! I guess I'll just rest since there's really nothing else I can do right now."

"Good."

After that, their conversation died off and everyone went about their business. Akagi and Kaga didn't really have much to do since Mutsu was pretty much unable to move. Meanwhile, Mutsu was busy thinking about what was going on. This war caused everyone to think about their own existence, but after everything that has happened to her, she just didn't know what to think. Fleet girls could become Abyssals, Nagato was an Abyssal; she didn't want to believe any of this. Unfortunately, these things were starting to come to fruition.

After a day went by, Mutsu was slowly starting to regain her strength in her body. It still wasn't enough to get her out of the docks, but it made her feel a little better about the situation. Once she was fully healthy, she was going to use everything in her power to find Nagato. She knew in her heart that no one at the base would be able to find her and if they ever did find her, they wouldn't be able to bring her back. Even though she was an Abyssal, it seemed as if Nagato still knew who Mutsu was.

With Mutsu decommissioned for a while, the Kongou sisters were now at the helm of the base. They remained at HQ and waited for orders from the Admiral. It took a while, but eventually, they received some news that they were forced to follow.

"Battleship Nagato has been declared a lost vessel. You will lead a squadron and pursue her. Under no circumstances will you show mercy. When the time comes, you must end her or else our fleet will be in danger. Is that understood?"

"Yes."

"Keep me informed when the mission commences."

End of Chapter 5


	6. Chapter 6

The Problem with Nagato

Chapter 6

Lost

"Our numbers are dwindling down as the search for Nagato gets underway. We don't need to keep watch over her. Besides, she still needs a lot more time before she fully recovers."

"Alright. What are you doing?"

"I'm patrolling the bay tonight. What about you?"

"I have to go help resupply. Apparently, we're getting fresh ammo and other things and they need help sorting things out."

"Okay. Well, I'll be off."

Mutsu listened from just a few feet away. The door to the docks was slightly open so she was able to hear the entire thing. She was just glad to know that no one was keeping watch over her anymore. That's when she moved her arms and legs to the best of her ability. Unfortunately, they didn't move as good as she would have wanted, but this didn't stop her. She slowly returned to her feet and exited the docks. Once she had her clothes on, she slowly and stealthily made her way to sortie.

This was a struggle because the entire base was bustling with girls all over the place. She had to be precise with when she moved as well as how fast she moved. Thankfully, everyone else was too busy with other things to look wherever Mutsu was. after some time, she finally made it sortie where she packed on her equipment and made her way out to sea.

Right as she left the gate, she could feel the weight of her equipment pulling her down towards the water. Her strength was lacking and her armor definitely didn't make it any easier on her. However, she had to keep on going. She was the only one who could bring Nagato back safe and sound. This stubborn mentality allowed her to sail out of the bay without being spotted. The only bad thing was that once she made it to open waters, the voyage only grew tougher from there.

The waters were freezing cold and rough from all sides. Her body was thrown all over the place, but she continued to fight through it. She kept her eyes forward and her mind on finding Nagato at all costs.

The rough journey went on for hours when her legs suddenly gave out from under her. she collapsed onto her knees and felt tears run down her face. Deep down, she knew that this trip was too much for her. she also knew that by doing this, it would pretty much be a one-way trip. She couldn't fight; not in the state that she was in. As the fatigue set in, she managed to look up and catch a glimpse of an Abyssal-looking figure. Where she was, she couldn't be picky so she used the rest of her strength to sail in that direction.

Once she got in range, she saw a hoard of Abyssals with Nagato right in the middle of them. She couldn't help but call out to her. the sound of her voice travelled across the water until they all spotted her alone. Out of nowhere, a group of five Abyssals emerged from the water and held her hostage. She couldn't fight, but she demanded that she see Nagato.

"Nagato! Nagato, please don't do this. I know you're still in there! You have to come back. We need you. I… I need you." She had her eyes glued to Nagato, but she didn't turn towards her. Instead, one of the Abyssals holding her turned her so that Nagato escaped from sight.

"Nowhere to go now."

At that moment, they all submerged into the ocean, taking Mutsu with them. She screamed as loud as she could, hoping that Nagato would come to her rescue, but it didn't happen. The pressure of the water started to have an effect on Mutsu. She could only hold her breath for so long and as they descended deeper, she started to lose consciousness. However, before that happened, one of the Abyssals pierced a strange device into Mutsu's chest allowing her to breath.

The descent was frightening. It was a world that she didn't even know existed. There were figures that looked like buildings and other things that humans used as structures. Once they arrived, they strapped Mutsu up to a reef-looking thing and left her alone. This was when she started to panic. She had no idea what was going to happen. She didn't see anyway of escaping if she was given the chance. Her worried eyes and weary body were only brought to life by her first group of visitors. It was Abyssal battleship with an octopus-looking thing. She remained quiet and tried her best to stay as calm as possible.

"Secrets." The Abyssals pointed right at Mutsu and the octopus walked right next to her. it stuck its tentacle right into the back of her head.

"Aaahhh!"

The pain was excruciating. It drove its tentacle as far as it could until it made contact with her brain. That's when Mutsu lost consciousness. With another one of its tentacles, it projected images of what was going on in Mutsu's head. Thankfully, they were all images of Nagato. On the other hand, they were hoping for secrets about the Empire. After they realized that the images wouldn't stop, the octopus removed its tentacle and suddenly electrified it, pressing it against Mutsu's stomach.

"Aaahhh!" Her cry of pain could be heard from all over, but no one cared.

They shocked her again and repeated the process of intruding her mind. This time, the images were a little different. Nagato was still there, but there were also brief segments of the base and its occupants. After that, they faded away. Once again, they repeated the process until a voice broke out of the torture which forced them to stop. By this point, Mutsu was exhausted beyond belief so her head was drooping down. She could barely hear, but managed to put together that someone new was joining the affair.

"W-Why," Mutsu struggled to ask softly.

"Mutsu."

Mutsu knew that only one person here knew her name and that was Nagato. She slowly raised her head to see her looking down upon her.

"N-Nagato." With every bit of strength she had left, she mustered up a smile.

"Give in."

Her eyes suddenly widened. These weren't the words she wanted to hear from her right now.

"What are you saying?"

"Do it… before it gets worse."

"How can you say that? You know me. This isn't you. You're the battleship Nagato, the strongest fleet girl in the Empire. You can't give in like this."

Nagato suddenly turned around as if to avoid eye contact with her.

"I'm not Nagato."

"Yes you are. I know you're still in there and I will do everything I can to make you remember that."

"Shut up!"

"Never! You're the girl that everyone looks up to. No matter what the situation, you always stayed strong and never gave up. You… You were the girl I decided to give my heart to. You have to remember that. I love you and deep down, I know I hold I special place in your heart. You may not show it like I do, but you love me too. Please… Remember me."

"I don't know you. goodbye." Without saying another word, she stormed out of the area leaving Mutsu to cry out her name uncontrollably. Meanwhile, the torture team came back to get some more information out of her while they still could.

…

"Tenryuu-san!"

"Fubuki-chan?"

"Tenryuu-san… Mutsu has been captured!"

"What?! I thought she's been in the docks all of this time."

"No. she escaped and went looking for her."

"And how do you know this?"

"B-Because I followed her."

"You followed her without permission and didn't do anything to intervene?!"

"There was no way I could. The Abyssals numbers were just too great for me to punch a hole through it."

"Fine. Tatsuta! Gather the fleet. We got a battle coming up."

End of Chapter 6


	7. Chapter 7

The Problem with Nagato

Chapter 7

Attack and Defeat

"Aaahhhh!"

"Secrets. Now."

"Aaahhhhh!" Mutsu screamed out in pain as the torture continued to unfold upon her. It was almost becoming rote at this point.

They'd look into her mind and gather as much as they could and once the image became clouded or unfocused, they electrified her to get to focus once more. As a fleet girl, she knew to never give in to her enemy. However, she was also leaning on the hope that Nagato would come around and save her from this horrible situation. This was the strength that she was relying on. She knew that Nagato wouldn't give up so she couldn't give up either.

Time went on and the torture only got worse. Mutsu started to feel cold and was able to see a small light in the distance. This was when she had to be ever stronger than she thought possible. She couldn't give in to her enemy just yet. She just needed a little bit more time.

"Anything."

The Abyssals shook their heads in frustration. That's when Mutsu was able to raise her head to see Nagato return to the chamber. It only took a second for the two of them to make eye contact with each other. Unfortunately, when it happened, Nagato charged Mutsu and grabbed her by her hair. Nagato then rammed her head back against the wall with dark eyes.

"Give up now… For your sake."

Boom! The entire room rumbled and the Abyssals looked around in question. Nagato eyed Mutsu for a few more seconds before she averted her eyes back to the others.

"Other humans. We attack now."

"This human?" They all turned their heads towards Mutsu.

"She's mine."

After that, the Abyssals rose to the surface and immediately entered the fray. On the other hand, Nagato watched the army rise to the open air and waited. It took about a few minutes for Nagato to finally make a move. She immediately charged back towards Mutsu and broke her restraints.

"Nagato," Mutsu said with a smile.

"No." Nagato suddenly created a small device with her hand and placed it in the middle of Mutsu's chest. "I die… You die."

…

"Tenryuu-san, we're picking up a massive horde about 3 clicks out."

"Copy. Call your planes back in. We're gonna need them."

The Empire were sailing towards the Abyssals make-shift base with everything they had. Of course, they had reserve fleet girls back at the base, but the most skilled and most useful guns were called upon for this mission so this included the Kongou-class, Carrier Fleet 1 and 2, all special cruisers and destroyers, and Yamato. They were prepared to do everything it takes to take back what was there's.

"Akagi-san, are your planes loaded with our new weapons?"

"Aye. Kaga-san and I are ready to launch."

"Alright. We're about one click out. Everybody be ready. We are going to surround them and pick them off from all angles. All cruisers and destroyers, I'm gonna need you guys to get your hands dirty and fight amongst the carnage."

"Aye!"

"All battleships stay back and support covering fire. Carriers, you stay back and watch our backs in case something comes our way. Is that understood?"

"Aye!"

"Good. Let's do this!"

At that moment, the first wave of destroyers sent their torpedoes into action. Their senses were on point as they were able to take down some of the first Abyssals to resurface. That's when Tenryuu initiated the full power of their attack. Everyone knew their responsibilities so their attack was accurate and efficient.

The beginning of the battle was on the Empire's side. The Abyssals weren't coming up fast enough so that gave them element of surprise. However, this trend didn't continue for long. They eventually started to resurface with greater numbers that forced the Empire to enter close combat and more treacherous gun fights. Carrier Fleet 2 had their forces in their air providing support while Akagi and Kaga were waiting back for the right moment, but the right moment didn't happen for a while. The battle raged on without any clear winner in sight. Thankfully, one of their reconnaissance ships spotted a strange ship emerge from the water.

"Battleship Nagato and Mutsu spotted."

"You heard her. Launch those planes now."

"Aye!"

The Admiral and the research team managed to develop a weapon that was able to cancel the strange signals that the Abyssals emit from their bodies. By arming their weapons with this ability, they'd be able to cause some confusion amongst their enemies and allow their army a chance to really put a hole in their numbers.

"Carrier Fleet 1, target all Abyssals at all costs!"

"Aye!"

"Tenryuu-san, what about Mutsu-san?"

"Once we open up a hole, we'll focus our fire on Nagato. Until that moment, hold off on hitting her. We still need to bring her back."

"But the Admiral…"

"Forget it! Just focus on the battle!"

"Aye."

When Nagato and Mutsu emerged from the water, they were immediately introduced the sight of a brutal war. Missiles and explosions were everywhere and they two of them didn't really know how to react. Actually, Mutsu couldn't react at all since she was still weak from the torture that she went through not too long ago. On the other hand, Nagato was getting frustrated with what she was witnessing. The Abyssals promised her a victory, but it seemed as if they were starting to dwindle in numbers.

"Tsk!" At that moment, Nagato gripped Mutsu by the arm and held her close like she was a shield. "Aaarrrgghhhh!"

"That's the signal! Fire now. Don't let them communicate with each other!"

The planes rained hell upon the Abyssal army until there were only a few left. The results of that airstrike proved that their weapon was worth all of the money and time that was spent on it. All that was left was to retrieve their stolen weaponry.

"Attack Nagato! We need her back alive though!"

Nagato quickly realized that she was one of the few ones left on the battlefield. She tried activating her failsafe, but it didn't work. The device on Mutsu's chest was no longer functioning. That's when she tore it off and held her even closer as insurance.

At that moment, the fleet took aim at Nagato and fired. From where they were standing, the two of them could see a huge barrage of missiles heading right for them.

"Why?"

"Huh," Mutsu asked with a soft voice.

As the missiles grew closer, Nagato could only do one thing. She wrapped her arm around Mutsu and covered her as best as she could from the blast.

Boom! The explosion was huge and on point. Everyone who took aim hit their target exactly. However, it wasn't over yet. It appeared as though Nagato was still standing. That's when Tenryuu decided to change it up. She called upon the biggest and strongest ships to enter hand-to hand combat. She knew this would be effective because Nagato, herself, did this multiple times in battle and it always proved to effective against the Abyssals.

The Kongou-class, Tenryuu, and Tatsuta made their way towards Nagato while the rest of the fleet stayed back to provide another barrage of missiles.

Meanwhile, the damage was pretty severe. Nagato protected Mutsu from most of the blast, but she was still pretty banged up. When she realized what had happened, she looked up and saw Nagato breathing heavily with very little life in her eyes. Her body was lifeless and growing darker by the minute.

"Nagato… Why did you…"

"Get out of here," she said softly.

Bam! The 6 ships crashed into Nagato and separated her from Mutsu.

"Nagato!"

Her body was sent flying quite a way away. Once it returned to the water, the fleet girls wasted no time disabling her to the inner core. At the same time, Nagato did her best to fend off the attacks, but it was just too difficult. 1 against 6 was just too great of an odd for Nagato to overcome.

"Nagato!" Mutsu did her best to make her way to Nagato, but her body was still damaged. Everywhere hurt so she was forced to stay where she was and watch the horrible scene unravelling before her.

The fight continued until the girls brought Nagato to her knees.

"That's it! Light her up!"

Mutsu managed to intercept the order and turned her head to see the rest of the fleet take aim at Nagato once more. She couldn't believe what was happening. Why were they going to such extremes to stop her? Without a second to waste, they launched their missiles into their air and waited for them to hit their target. At the same time, the six fleet girls evacuated their area until it was clear of fire.

"Nagato." Mutsu continued to make her way closer towards Nagato, but it was no use. Her body just wasn't responding to her. That's when she looked up to see the sky get darker. The shadow of missiles gloomed over Nagato as well as her and that's when she knew what was going to happen. "This can't be happening." She closed and hoped some kind of miracle would happen.

"Mutsu!" Out of nowhere, something was triggered inside of Nagato. Her body reactivated and sailed as fast as she could towards Mutsu. When she realized that there wasn't enough time, she jumped towards her and extended her hand towards Mutsu. "Take my hand!"

That's when Mutsu opened her eyes once again and turned her head to see Nagato heading for her. Unfortunately, there just wasn't enough time.

Boom!

End of Chapter 7


	8. Chapter 8

The Problem with Nagato

Chapter 8

Loss

As she opened her eyes, the world was fuzzy at first. She felt her body her in a slightly different state from what she remembered in the past. That's when she realized what was going on.

"Mutsu," she shouted as she shot up from the bed and looked around the room. She quickly scanned the room and noticed that she was all alone. She then attempted to leave her bed, but her body was still recovering from her injuries. That's when she returned to a resting position and waited for anyone to tell her what was going on.

…

A few hours went by until someone finally came into the room. It was Kirishima. Nagato immediately sat up and addressed her promptly.

"What's going on? Where's Mutsu?"

"Calm down Nagato-san. The Admiral will explain things once you're…"

"I don't care. I want to know what's going on now. You can't keep hiding things from me. Tell me what is going on right now or else…"

"Or else what?"

At that moment, the door slammed open and the Admiral walked in.

"Admiral… I had no idea you were here."

"Of course I'm here. I had to oversee quite a few projects, and one of them involved you."

"Me?"

"Nagato, I know this is going to be hard for you to hear this, but Mutsu has been stripped down and dismantled for parts."

"No…" The shock of this news hit her so hard that she almost went dizzy. Her brain was process that information up until her emotions got the better of her. "Why would you do that?! You know how important Mutsu is to this fleet! You know how important she is to me! What the hell is your problem, coming in here and just dismantling a fleet girl?! Have you even thought about what happens after that process?!"

"I have, and I know quite clearly of the results, Nagato!" His voice was stern which forced her to retreat a bit. "She was of no more use to the Empire. Meanwhile, you still are and that's why we repurposed her parts to save you. You should be grateful actually. We mechanics and scientists went through so much hardship to make sure that we could bring you back. I don't want to hear any defiance from you. You have no right to do so." He turned around and headed for the door. "You will require as soon as possible and report to HQ." He opened the door to allow Kirishima to exit and slammed it shortly after his exit.

As the room filled with silence, Nagato couldn't believe what the Admiral had just told her. Mutsu was dismantled. She had no say in the matter at all. It just happened and now, there's nothing she could do to bring her back.

"No… Nnnooooo!" Nagato screamed at the top of her lungs and she smashed her fists against her head in anger.

How could this happen? Why did it happen?

It was all coming back to her; the memories of her falling further and further into the depths of the Abyss. However, the one thing that was keeping her from completely sinking was Mutsu. For some reason, she was constantly in her mind. Her bright smile and warm aura allowed Nagato to return some of her human abilities. The only thing that confused her now was why she was gone. Every fleet girl is important to their cause and yet, the Admiral made the call to dismantle her. None of it made any sense. That's when she couldn't wait any longer. She climbed out of bed and did her best to get her feet on the floor. As she tried this, Yamato walked into the room which stopped her from progressing.

"Hello Nagato-san."

"Yamato, what are you doing here?"

"I thought you might need someone to talk to. I mean, you've been through a lot. Probably more than any of us will ever go through. How are you holding up?"

"Ugh, I don't know. None of this is making any sense. Why would be dismantle Mutsu? Why would he do that just to bring me back?"

"I know this is going to be hard for you to hear, but the Admiral believes that you're more valuable than Mutsu. He believes that so strongly than the mission to get you back was only for you. Mutsu, unfortunately, was a casual that he didn't account for. It's not that he doesn't care…"

"Well, it seems like he doesn't. We were raised to cherish every fleet girl and be there for each other when they needed us. How is this the motto that we've known all of our lives?"

"It's not."

The conversation hit an awkward moment. Neither of them spoke and neither of them knew what to talk about. They just stared at the ground until something managed to break the silence.

"Nagato, do you know what happens to fleet girls after their dismantled?" There was a slight pause before Nagato shook her head. "They become free. Their ties to the ocean are no longer present. They're able to live their lives in peace. I know how much you cared about Mutsu, but it's better this way. She's out there somewhere now able to live a normal life. You should be happy. Nothing can hurt her anymore."

"But… Mutsu always talked about being with me forever."

"Sometimes, you just have to let go of the person you love. For their sake, and for yours."

"I can't do that." Nagato suddenly shot up from the bed and walked towards the door. At the same time, Yamato got up and blocked her path. "Move."

"I can't let you do anything rash, Nagato-san."

"Move."

"In this state that you're in, there's not much that you can do. You and I both know that I'm the only one who can stop you."

Nagato's eyes shot open. She knew that this was the truth and so, she bowed her head in shame.

"Yamato, please… I need to go. I know I can trust you to understand what I'm going through. Remember when you were first brought here… The Admiral and everyone else made sure that you stayed away from the ocean at all times. You hated it, and yet, you're trying to do that to me. Please… I need to leave."

Yamato looked at Nagato and knew that this was a completely different person. She's never seen this girl so defeated before. However, she knew that Nagato was still talking sense into her.

"Alright. Do what you need to do." She stepped aside and let Nagato leave.

Nagato stormed out of the room in search of the Admiral. There were a lot of things going through her head, but the one that was most important was Mutsu. She needed to know why Mutsu was dismantled and why she was brought back. As she searched for the Admiral, she ran through everything she needed to say in an order that would be the most efficient. After some time, she finally found him in his office along with Ooyodo and a girl she had never seen before.

"Admiral, what are you doing?"

"Nagato, I don't have to talk to…"

"Yes you do! I will make time myself." Nagato charged his desk and swiped everything to the ground. "You will listen to me and hear everything I say to you! Why did you dismantle Mutsu?! You have no right to do that! She was a fleet girl just like the rest of us!"

"She wasn't worth the parts! I dismantled her because it was the best thing for this fleet and for this war. A fleet girl like you wouldn't understand!"

"Oh really?! Then why bring me back?!"

"It's as I said… You're valuable."

"And Mutsu isn't? How can you even call yourself an Admiral?"

"Nagato, enough. I've had it with your attitude. You need to cool off. Thankfully, I have your new partner with me right now. This is Mieko. She'll be handling your business until you're finally able to return with a sound mind."

"Don't tell me… Some of that dismantling is now within this thing."

There was some silence until the Admiral nodded his head. At that point, Nagato was furious. She slammed her fist onto the table and then grabbed him by his collar.

"I've had it. Mutsu never did want the life of a fleet girl. Maybe it's time I thought the same way."

"So what are you saying?"

"I'm done." She let go of his collar and reached upwards for her comms system.

"You can't do this."

"Try and stop me." With her comms system in hand, she dropped it on the ground and walked out, leaving everything behind.

Before she left the base, she decided to steal the Admiral's car. Thankfully, she wasn't worried because she knew that the Admiral feared her and that all the fleet girls were on her side.

As she drove away from the base, her mind quickly ventured to Mutsu once again. Mutsu was the one girl that she couldn't compete with. Mutsu was always caring, but still had the fire that every fleet girl is born with. She even risked her life to bring Nagato back. She knew that Nagato was still there even though everyone else saw her as a fallen fleet girl that couldn't be saved. Nagato was even able to realize who she was at the moment of their imminent destruction.

"Why," she whispered to herself.

Nagato was holding back the tears because she couldn't help but feel that this was her fault. Mutsu didn't need to risk her life to save her. And even though she did, Nagato was mad at herself for what she did. She didn't recognize her. She treated her like an enemy up until she decided to save Mutsu from that missile. What caused her to do that? Why did her memory of Mutsu suddenly return to her at that moment?

She blankly drove until she came around the business district. She parked her car and decided to find a place to relax. The first place she saw a nice coffee place so she decided to head there. Immediately, the atmosphere of the business district was completely different from that of the base. Everyone around her was so happy and carefree. She knew she didn't fit in here, but she made the decision to go off on her own. She ordered a coffee and took seat at a table just outside of the café. She sipped her coffee and watched the people go by. They all looked so peaceful. This was her dream for the fleet girls. In all actuality, it was a curse to be a fleet girl. Devoting one's life to the ocean in exchange for a peaceful world elsewhere.

She sighed abnormally loud and went back to sipping her coffee. As she was about to finish her drink, she caught a glimpse of a girl struggling with her bags as she trying to press the "pedestrian crossing" button. She quickly ran over to her and grabbed the bags from her hands.

"Here, let me help you these."

"Ah, thank you so much."

As the two met eyes, Nagato couldn't help but feel like she knew this girl.

"D-Do I know you?"

"I don't think so. I just moved here."

End of Chapter 8


	9. Chapter 9

The Problem with Nagato

Chapter 9

On the Inside

"Oh… You just moved here." Nagato's voice grew soft and weak. Thankfully, the familiar didn't take any notice of it.

"I would hate to pull you away from whatever you're doing just to help someone like me. I can take those back if…"

"No, no… If you don't mind, I'd love to help. I'm not doing anything right now anyway. Where are you headed?"

"My apartment is right across the street. I'll show you up."

Nagato followed close behind her. The entire time they were walking, Nagato couldn't help but examine the girl closely. She looked so familiar, but at the same time, there was something completely different about her. She just couldn't put her finger on it. When the two of them reached her apartment, they placed all of the stuff on the ground and grabbed a chair.

"You're quite the strong girl, aren't you?"

"Well, I like to keep my body in good shape."

"Well, your boyfriend must work even harder in order to hang on to you."

"I, uh… I don't have a boyfriend."

"Oh, a girlfriend," she asked nervously.

"No… Not even a girlfriend," she said, trying to suppress her emotions.

"Well, I'm jealous, nonetheless. I consider myself more of the wimpy kind. If you hadn't have come and help me, this would have taken me so much longer. I can't thank you enough. Would you like some tea or water?"

"Um, tea, if you don't mind."

"Sure, it'll be right up."

The girl walked into the kitchen and started to make some tea. Trying as hard as she could not to seem like some kind of creeper, Nagato examined her even further. She eyed the girl's physical appearance. Her slender body and short hair made Nagato think about who else at the base had that kind of figure. She also recalled this girl's voice. Her voice was so smooth and so comforting that it felt as if she's heard it before. Who was it again?

"I'm so sorry. I'm being completely rude. I didn't even catch your name."

"Right… I'm Nagato. What's yours?"

"Nagato… That's such a strong name," she said with a little chuckle.

At that moment, Nagato started to realize who this girl reminded her of.

"My name is Mutsu."

That was when Nagato realized who this girl really was.

"M-Mutsu," she said slowly and shakily. Her arms slowly raised towards her like she was going in for a hug. Immediately after the start of this, she jerked her body back to herself. Unfortunately, Nagato could not hold back the tears that were forming in her eyes.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" Mutsu quickly grabbed some tissues and wiped away her tears.

"I'm sorry. This just came out of nowhere. I guess I was just thinking of something. You just… You remind me of someone I lost."

"Oh… I'm… I'm so sorry to hear that."

The conversation suddenly grew silent. Nagato couldn't talk due to her thinking about Mutsu. Mutsu, on the other hand, didn't really know how to gauge the conversation away from the awkwardness of her own name.

"So, um… What do you do for work?"

It took Nagato a few seconds to respond, but she eventually got the words out.

"I…" She immediately stopped herself before she could go any further. She just remembered that she had quit her last job as a fleet girl, even though her job as a fleet girl was never finished. "Actually, I'm currently looking for a job."

"I see. You, at least, have a place to stay, right?"

Nagato shook her head and the conversation immediately grew silent once again. Thankfully, Mutsu managed to come with another topic to liven up the mood.

"Well, this may sound forward, but… The rent here is pretty expensive and I don't know if my job will be able to pay for it all. I also need to buy groceries and other homely things since it's pretty bland in here… Never mind that, I got off track. We could share the place. You seem like a nice, trustworthy girl. You did kind of help me move in."

"That's generous of you, but…"

"But what? I think this is a smart idea. We're both starting out fresh in a new city with low to little income. I think combing our efforts could work out in the long run."

"I…" Nagato was hesitant in the fact that she didn't know what to do. She thought that it was some kind of miracle for Mutsu to show up like this. What made it seem even more like a dream was that she was asking her to move in with her. She didn't even know Nagato and yet, she was letting her live there.

"What do you say, roomie?"

Nagato looked up to see Mutsu reaching out her hand towards her. Again, she was hesitant about the whole thing, but something inside her told her to go along with it. She brought up her hand and grabbed Mutsu's in agreement.

"Perfect. If you don't mind, I'll get your tea and then I'm going to unpack my things."

Nagato watched her retreat into the kitchen. She poured the tea into a cup and leave it for Nagato. She then went into the other room and started to unpack. Nagato had no place here; at least, not yet. She had no belongings at all. She only had enough money for some clothes. However, that's what she needed right now. She didn't want to Mutsu to think that she had had the clothes that she was wearing so she headed to the door and told Mutsu where she was going. Mutsu confirmed it and the two parted ways.

As Nagato began her little shopping trip, she was only thinking about Mutsu. There were so many questions running through her head. What was she doing here? How did she not recognize her? Why was she even alive? Right as she made it out of the apartment building, she bumped into someone she clearly knew. It was Ooyodo. At that moment, she grabbed her by the shoulders and took her into a nearby alley where no one could see the two of them.

"What are you doing here?"

"I've been looking for you. Luckily, you found me."

"If this is what I think it is, I'm not coming back. You can tell that conniving son of a bitch that he can find himself a new secretary ship. After what he pulled, it's impossible to work under his command."

"I know, and I understand. The reason why I'm here is to bring you back with me…"

Nagato wasn't up for it. She gripped Ooyodo's collar even tighter and gave her the darkest look she could muster up.

"But I came here for something else."

Nagato suddenly let her go.

"And what is that?"

"I came here to tell you about Mutsu."

"Then you better get on that right away," she interjected violently. "Because I've already met Mutsu today."

"Well, um, I guess that makes things easier on both of us. Allow me to explain. The dismantling process isn't what most of us believe it to be. It's true that the spirit of the fleet girl lost passes away. However, the girl, if she is intact, can continue to live on as a normal human girl. That's what happened to Mutsu. The Admiral and the infirmary team did their best to bring her back, but it wasn't possible. Instead, the Admiral compromised in making sure Mutsu could continue her life as a normal girl."

"You're trying to tell me that the Admiral brought her back to life?!" Nagato's voice was rough and unwavering.

"Yes. That's why he sent me to find you. He wants to resolve this dilemma as soon as possible."

"Well, it won't be resolved. Even if him saving Mutsu is true, I can no longer trust anything he does or say. I can't." Her voice suddenly went soft as she turned away from Ooyodo. "Ooyodo, you have to understand the situation that I'm in. Mutsu, and what happened to her is my fault. I must take responsibility for it. After all, I l-…"

"I know, Nagato-san. You don't need to say it. I just thought you should know the full extent of the situation. I'll tell the Admiral that you were nowhere to be found. I'll make sure he doesn't pursue you any further."

"Thank you. Be sure to look out for those girls for me."

"I will. I promise."

After that, the two parted ways. Ooyodo left Nagato in the alley while Nagato collapsed to her knees in both anger and confusion. She was mad at the fact that she thought Mutsu was dead all this time. She was then confused about how Mutsu being alive was even possible. There was so much that she wanted to know. However, she couldn't think about it right now. She had to do her shopping, make it seem like she was a good roommate, and then dive into the hardcore facts.

Day turned night and Nagato finally made it back to the apartment. The room was unlocked which meant that Mutsu understood her message. She placed her things in the living room and called out for Mutsu. She didn't hear any response so she decided to wander the place. It wasn't all that big since there was only one room. When she poked her head into the bedroom, she saw that Mutsu's stuff was all unpacked. A nice sized bed took most of the room with a couple of small dressers on opposite sides of the room. As she examined it further, she realized that Mutsu was passed out on the bed. Her body was curled up in a ball and the blankets were half-out-of-the-box. Nagato couldn't help but smile and walk over to her.

"You're still the same, I see." She pulled the blankets out of the box and laid it over her body. After that, she sat down on Mutsu's side of the bed and simply watched her sleep in peace. "This… This is what I wanted for you all this time." She leaned over to kiss her on the cheek, but immediately pulled back once more. "What are you doing, stupid? You can't do that right now."

After her moment of realization, she sighed and exited the room. She organized the things she bought and decided to spend the night on the couch.

"Good night Mutsu."

End of Chapter 9


	10. Chapter 10

The Problem with Nagato

Chapter 10

Trying

 **Note:** Hello everyone, I'm so sorry for not updating after all this time. I just have been putting a lot of stuff on my plate with not a lot of time for myself. You can rest assure that I plan to continue writing. Writing allows me to be creative where school doesn't let me do that so I hope I didn't lose anyone. I'm going to try to update more frequently, but I can guarantee that I won't give up on writing these stories for you guys. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and I hope I haven't lost my touch on the writing ordeal.

Nagato's night on the couch was a rough one. It took her a while to fall asleep, but she managed to do so eventually. However, when she woke up, she noticed that she wasn't on the couch. She was in Mutsu's bed, all alone with the morning sun laying across the room. She sat up straight and wondered what had happened. That's when she heard some noises coming from the kitchen. She slowly got on her feet and walked into the main room where Mutsu was cleaning up some dishes.

"Good morning. You sure are a heavy sleeper."

"I-I was on the couch. How did I end up on your bed," she asked groggily.

"I felt bad about making you sleep on that uncomfortable couch so I moved you into the bedroom. Don't worry, I didn't do anything else," she said jokingly.

"I'm sorry for causing you problems in our first night."

"Ah, don't worry about it. You still saved me with moving in all of my stuff so I'm still in your debt."

Already, Nagato was starting to realize that there was nothing different about this Mutsu from the one she knew as a fleet girl aside from the memory loss. Her friendly attitude and her bright smile allowed Nagato remember all of the memories the two of them shared when they were fleet girls. They went through everything together and Nagato wanted that to continue. She just needed to take her time because if she tried getting to Mutsu now, things could easily fall apart and she would lose her forever.

"Well, you ready for our first day of work?"

"Work?"

"Yeah. We can't afford this place if we're not working."

"Oh right. We were going to check if your place had an opening for me."

"Yep. Let's try to get there early so we avoid rushes when the shifts start."

Without wasting any time, Nagato quickly got ready and the two of them headed off to work.

…

Right as they got there, Nagato froze up. It was a maid café. In her head, she had a feeling it would be something like this, but now that she was there, she didn't want to do this. Mutsu quickly realized Nagato's change of attitude and grabbed her by the arm.

"Come on. Don't be shy. The manager is nice lady and is always open to pretty girls such as yourself."

"But…" Nagato couldn't finish her sentence. Mutsu pulled her with some force until they entered the building.

"Eeeee!" The shrill of all of the girl's working filled the building. They were all attracted to the two girls like bees with honey.

"Welcome."

"Are you here for your first day?"

"Who is this beautiful woman?"

"Haha, calm down. I'm Mutsu and this is Nagato, she's my roommate. We were wondering if the boss had any openings for another girl."

"I'm sure she would. Let's get you two over to her." Without a second thought, all of the girls pulled Nagato and Mutsu into the back room where the boss was waiting.

Once they were in, she welcomed Mutsu and had her go with the other girls so that she could get changed. On the other hand, she took some time with Nagato. Nagato was a little uncomfortable with this kind of work, but she knew that it would be much harder to find work somewhere else so she took a deep breath and did her best to put on a show. The boss was pretty much an "expert" when it came to judging woman on how to be a maid and Nagato was coming across to her as an old sister figure and that's what Nagato was told. After their meeting, she got dressed and awaited further instruction.

When she left the changing room and entered the main dining hall, she attracted the attention of all of the girls. They crowded her and told her that she looked so cute. Her high socks, short skirt, and maid head piece made her fit in perfectly with them. Unfortunately, Nagato didn't feel that way. She was so shy that she just wanted to cover her face and go in the corner. It wasn't until Mutsu complimented her that she finally felt more comfortable with the idea.

At the start of their shift, Nagato just watched from the sidelines. She observed how the girls greeted and treated the customers. They all had smiles on their faces and were super generous no matter who they were helping. Unfortunately, Nagato noticed some rude and gross people harassing some of them, but no one did anything. They just giggled and acted as if nothing happened. This mad Nagato mad. Thankfully, no one harassed Mutsu. It was only a matter of time though. She had to stay vigilant and wait for her chance to strike.

Eventually, Nagato was given her chance to take the floor. She waited at the door until someone came in. That's when she put on her maid façade and guided them to their table. She took a lot of deep breaths just to calm herself down. However, the customer was taking a liking to her. They said that she wasn't the typical cutesy girl that dominated this business and that made her feel a little better. After her service to them was done, the boss came around and told her that she did a great job. Just across the hall, Nagato couldn't help but notice a customer causing a ruckus. He was asking for all of the maids to come to his service when the rule was that he was only allowed one per visit. It wasn't until Mutsu was called over when Nagato had to step in.

As Mutsu drew closer to that man, his hand stretched out towards her butt, but was immediately grabbed by Nagato. She gripped it hard and pulled him out of his chair.

"We don't allow creeps to mess with our staff. Get the hell out of here before it gets worse for you." She tightened her grip and caused the man to weep in pain. He quickly nodded his head and ran out of the building as quickly as he could.

"Nagato-san, could you please come here?!"

Nagato turned her head to see that it was the boss she was just talking to. She knew that it couldn't be good so she braced herself and walked over silently. The boss then led her back into her office for another meeting.

…

Nagato and Mutsu didn't get to spend a lot of time together during their shift, but once they were done, they were able to reunite. Mutsu asked if Nagato got fired, but Nagato said that she was given a warning and an under-the-table thank you for preventing any harassment to the girls. This made Mutsu happy. She wrapped her arm around Nagato's as they headed back to their apartment.

Once dinner and evening preparations were done, they got ready for bed. Of course, Nagato tried setting up on the couch again, but Mutsu was persistent on the two of them sharing the bed. It wasn't like the bed she had was a kids' sized bed. Mutsu took the left side of the bed and Nagato took the right side. In the beginning, it was a little awkward. All Nagato could do was rest on her back and only look at the ceiling. On the other hand, Mutsu was on her side, looking at Nagato with a smile. Eventually, Nagato had to give in.

"What's wrong? Did you want to sleep on this side of then bed?"

"No, I'm just thinking how lucky I am."

"Lucky?"

"Yeah. I move in to a new town not knowing anybody and then you come along and help me get all of my stuff in here. And then I ask you to be my roommate and you turn out to be a nice person who isn't weird or anything."

"Um, I think I should be the one who considers themselves lucky."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking out loud. Good night Mutsu."

"Oh, okay. Good night." Mutsu turned over and turned out the lights.

Just across the bed, Nagato was pressing her hands against her head. She was truly upset with herself. This Mutsu was so open to them being friends and roommates and yet, Nagato was still acting distant. She didn't know why she was doing this. It was probably because she was afraid. She was already lucky with meeting her and having her open up to her so easily. She just didn't want to ruin what was starting to be established. Also, trying to get close in that way was a huge step forward for the both of them. They already reached this stage in the past, but having to do it again made Nagato worry even more. She didn't want to lose ground that was already established from before.

The thing that was bothering her the most was herself. This Mutsu acted as if they've known each other forever and yet, Nagato chose to go to bed instead of learn more about her. The door was open for her. Something inside of her was preventing her from moving forward with her plan.

Why does Mutsu cause so much internal struggle for me, Nagato thought.

End of Chapter 10


	11. Chapter 10(2)

The Problem with Nagato

Chapter 10.5

 **Note:** As you guys may have noticed, this is an in between chapter that has no subtitle. I did this on purpose because lately, I've been contemplating on cutting this story short. However, I remembered the reason why I was writing this story in the first place. I wanted to leave Nagato x Mutsu fans on a better note than my last story. So… this chapter will be told in Nagato's perspective. It's not going to be very long, but it'll help me establish where I'm going with the rest of the story. Also, don't worry… There will be another chapter right after this one so you guys' patience wasn't wasted. I hope you enjoy the two updates.

I try my best to act strong in front of the people I love, but in actuality, I'm the weakest one out there. I don't know why that it is.

When I'm with Fubuki, I've never felt better. My shields are up and I'm ready for anything. However, I'm always ready to help her if she ever needs it. Kongou is like my little sister. She craves for attention, but can be very independent. She's someone who I look up to. She's not afraid of anything, even in the scariest of situations. Ooyodo always tells me that she looks up to me for inspiration. I just can't get over that statement. She's not really a specialist when it comes to battle, but she studies me all of the time. There's so many other fleet girls that I could talk about, but that's not important.

I am weak.

Mutsu brings out the best in me, but also the worst. When it comes to battle, I do everything in my power to protect her and watch over her. However, I always have that sense of doubt that I won't be able to do what I promised her so long ago. And to be completely honest, I've already broken that promise. I let her sink. I wasn't strong enough. I wasn't fast enough. I didn't care enough about her.

Mutsu is the living embodiment of compassion. She loves everyone and everyone loves her. If anyone would call anyone their mother, it would be Mutsu. Her heart is so big and so inviting that everyone loves her.

I, on the other hand, am something completely different. I don't show compassion; I physically can't do it. I show little emotions towards the girls around me. Even Mutsu knows about my lack of showing emotions. However, she's able to know what I'm feeling and how to make me feel better.

Why does she choose to waste her time on someone like me?

It's almost as if I'm the immovable object and she's the unstoppable force. How does it end up after everything is done?

And yet, I've been given a second chance with her. She gets to live her life as a normal human girl while she's accepted me into her life, and still, I'm afraid. I'm afraid that I won't be able to do anything for her. I'm afraid my own weaknesses and faults will cause her to not be who she wants to be.

What should I do?

End it now or take that chance, knowing that I may not have the strength to follow it through.

I need help.

Mutsu… What do I do?

End of Chapter 10.5


	12. Chapter 11

The Problem with Nagato

Chapter 11

Strength or Weakness

 **Note:** Without further ado, here is the true update. I hope you enjoy and please let me know how I did.

When morning came around, Nagato was the first to wake up. She slowly cracked her eyes open and attempted to life her arms and stretch. However, there was something holding her back. She looked down and saw Mutsu's arm wrapped around her body. At that moment, she started to freak out. She didn't know what to do. She didn't even know how to handle this situation. She looked around the room for something that could possibly help her out until her eyes fell on Mutsu's sleeping face. She looked so peaceful and so beautiful. There was a small sliver of hair covering her face so she gently brushed it out of the way to unveil the most perfect human sleeping right next to her.

Nagato was caught in between a rock and a hard place. This was her chance to show some kind of emotion without Mutsu knowing, but she knew that she would run the risk of Mutsu waking up without her knowing. She didn't know how much time she had left so she slammed her eyes shut and leaned in to kiss her on the forehead.

As her lips touched Mutsu's forehead, she immediately felt warm inside. Her skin was so soft. This was a feeling that she wasn't really used to and now that she got a taste for it, she didn't want it to end. It wasn't until Mutsu groaned and started to move. That's when Nagato quickly pulled away and pretended she had just woken up.

"Mmm! Morning."

"Good morning."

"How'd you sleep?"

"I was alright. How were you?"

"I'm kind of a cold sleeper so my body just naturally is attracted to things that are warm. I hope that doesn't bother."

"It's okay."

"If it ever bothers you, let me know and I'll move into the living room or something."

"It's fine, Mutsu."

"Okay. Anyway, enough of that… Today's our day off. What should we do?"

"You want me to pick?"

"I mean, I want to do something fun today, but right now, I can't think of anything. And plus, I'm not even from here so I don't what's out there. Please pick something Nagato."

"Alright. Let me think for a second. It's been a while since I've gone and done anything fun." She was careful to phrase the word "fun." Since she was still a fleet girl, she didn't know much about the dry land. Of course, she overheard stories or fun places to go, but she didn't really know them herself.

At the same time, she thought back to her and Mutsu at the naval base. Mutsu always talked about what they would do after the war. She wanted to lay around the beach with the weight of her equipment or her responsibilities. She also talked about wanting to go to some place called an amusement park. It seemed like a good idea simply because of the name, but also because it was on Mutsu's bucket list.

"How about we go to an amusement park?"

"Ah, that sounds perfect. I'm going to get ready." Mutsu jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom. Nagato watched her closely until she closed the door behind her.

That smile and radiant aura she had when Nagato spoke those words were something else. Very rarely did Nagato get to see that genuine smile, but now, that she has seen in again, she'll never be able to forget it.

As she waited for the bathroom to open, she looked up how to get to the amusement park. Thankfully, it wasn't too far away and this one was located right by the ocean so this was a double for Nagato. Once Mutsu was done, she headed into the bathroom and did her best to get ready as quickly as she could. She managed to finish in record time and the two of them packed the car and headed out.

During the trip, Mutsu couldn't contain the little girl inside of her. She was jumpy and jittery and was super anxious to get there. Occasionally, Nagato would look over at Mutsu and see the innocence and purity that Mutsu was known for. It was a sight that just made her smile and she was happy to be with her.

When they got to the amusement, Mutsu jumped out of the car and took in the sight of her first amusement. Her eyes lit up and her jaw dropped to the floor.

"Ooooo wow! This place looks incredible. Pick up the pace Nagato." Without wasting another second, Mutsu pulled her away from the car and towards the entrance.

They paid their entrance fees and looked at the map. Right from the start, there was so much to do. The park had about 10 rollercoasters and a bunch of food stands and shops to visit. Again, Mutsu grabbed Nagato by the hand and dragged her to the first ride that was within her line of sight. They quickly made it to the front and boarded the ride.

Mutsu was still super excited, but Nagato was trying to find a reason to be excited. The cart pulled out of the loading dock and started to ascend towards the sky. As this happened, a sudden tremor was sent through Nagato's entire body. She gripped the bar and started to breathe a little harder. Right next to her, Mutsu was still laughing and having a good time.

"Mutsu, h-have you ever ridden one of these before?"

"Not one quite this big so I'm sure it's going to amazing. Don't forget to put your arms in the air."

"Why would I do- Aaahhhhhh!"

The ride suddenly took a huge plummet towards the ground and everyone was screaming like their lives depended on it. Once they made it to the bottom, they veered left and then into a loop and then into a corkscrew. While all of this was happening, Nagato was screaming like she had never screamed before. She was a water girl so being in the air was something completely foreign and scary to her. As the ride neared its finish, they had one more loop and a couple more tight turns into they pulled into the loading dock.

"Wow! That was awesome, huh?" Mutsu turned her head and saw Nagato completely sunken into the seat. Her hair was everywhere and the look on her face seemed as if she had seen a ghost.

"Uh…"

The safety bar flew up and Mutsu pulled her off the ride. As they neared the exit, Nagato suddenly bent over to the side and threw up.

"Whew! I did not expect that from you. Excuse me, can I use one your napkins? Thank you. Here." She handed the napkin to Nagato who was finishing up her little session.

"Ugh. That was…"

"Pretty crazy, huh?"

Nagato looked up and saw that same smile again. That's when she couldn't do anything else but smile right back at her.

"Yeah… It was fun."

"Well then let's not waste time. Onwards!"

"Eh?!"

Mutsu pulled her by the hand once more until they were in another line. Nagato couldn't believe what was going on. She barely handled that one and now, they were going on another one.

This pattern went on all day until they rode the rest of the ones that the park had to offer. Once they were done, they parked it by a food stand and ate lunch. Nagato was still a little out of it, keeping her head down and breathing heavy. Meanwhile, Mutsu grabbed some food and headed back to Nagato.

"Are you okay?"

"I don't know… How did you handle all of those rides? They were insane."

"Haha, I can tell that this isn't really your forte," she said as she handed her a corndog.

"That's one way to put it." She grabbed he snack and was about to take a bite of it when a feeling in her stomach made her stop.

"Maybe you should loosen up a bit."

"Huh?"

"Every time we're waiting to ride something, you're super tense and not breathing. Take it easy and I can guarantee that the next ride we go on will be a lot funner for you."

"Hm?" There was that word again. "Fun." Nagato wasn't very familiar with this word so it made her stop and think. All day, Mutsu was having the time of her life not caring about anything and throwing caution to the wind. Meanwhile, Nagato was worried about falling out of her seat and dying in such a horrible place.

"Let's digest this food and try one more. If you still can't handle it, then we can call it day."

At that moment, that bad feeling in her stomach went away. Mutsu was compromising for her again. Ever since she's known Mutsu, Mutsu has had to compromise with Nagato about everything. This was going to change. Nagato knew that she had to change this. She clenched her fist and looked right at Mutsu.

"No. Don't worry about me. You having fun is all I care about today."

"Aw, that's sweet."

"How about we take one more break before we get back to the fun?"

"What do you mean?"

Once again, Mutsu grabbed her by the hand and guided her to a little photo booth. She put in the money and readied herself. The booth took photo after photo and every one of them, Mutsu was acting goofy and doing dumb stuff with Nagato. On the other hand, Nagato didn't really know what to do. She just stood there and smiled occasionally pointing at Mutsu.

"Final one. Make it good so you'll get 10 seconds to come up with something great. 10."

"Oh, I got the perfect thing." Mutsu suddenly wrapped her arms around Nagato's shoulder and looked right at the camera. "Come on Nagato. This one will be a piece of cake for you."

"9…8…7…"

Time was running out and Nagato wanted to do something. She didn't know what to do, but right as she was about to give up, her body acted on its own accord.

"3…2…1… Chk!" The camera snapped and the moment was etched into history.

"Nagato, did you just…" she asked as she touched her cheek.

I am so weak

End of Chapter 11


	13. Chapter 12

The Problem with Nagato

Chapter 12

The Truth

The ride home wasn't necessarily an awkward one, but rather, a quiet one. Neither one knew what to say to the other. They were both thinking about the same thing, but from different perspectives. Nagato was beating herself up the most. Of all the things to do, she decided to do that. they barely knew each other and yet, she decided to kiss her and etch the moment into history. She couldn't help but hit the steering wheel a few times before they made it home.

When they got back, Nagato entered the apartment without even turning on the lights. Mutsu followed close behind her and watched her behavior. She slowly trudged through the place until she opened the door to the balcony and closed it behind her in silence. Mutsu knew that there was something wrong with Nagato, but she just didn't know if it was the right time to intervene. As she made it to the center of the living room, she looked at the balcony one more time before heading into the bedroom.

Just outside, Nagato was looking off into the horizon. That one kiss to Mutsu's cheek has forced Nagato into a state of internal whiplash. She didn't know what to do or what to say. Everything was happening in her brain and nothing was making sense.

Tell her the truth. Don't tell her the truth. Explain what the kiss meant. Don't explain what that kiss meant. Tell her about her past. Don't tell her about her past.

All of these things were rumbling around in her head and Nagato didn't know what to do. After some time, she was forced to take a seat. It was thanks to the calm sea breeze that she was able to contain herself at this time of night. The sea was her true home. As good as it felt to be here with Mutsu, she knew that the sea was calling to her constantly. The longer she looked out to the sea, she eventually saw some fleet girls patrolling the shores. That's when she stood up and tried to make out who it was. Unfortunately, they were just a little too far away to tell.

"Ugh… What am I supposed to do?"

"Nagato?"

Nagato suddenly froze. That familiar voice that called out to her could only be one person. She slowly turned around and saw Mutsu standing in the doorway with a look of concern on her face.

"Are you okay?"

"Mutsu… You should head back to bed. We had a long day and work starts up again tomorrow so I don't want you to be tired."

"I know, but we kind of left things on a bad note so I wanted to talk to you to see if we could smooth things out."

Mutsu was hitting Nagato's weakness. Personal confrontation with this girl was something that Nagato was horrible at, and the way this situation looked, there was no way she was going to get out of this conversation.

"There's nothing to talk about. Just go back to bed."

"No. It's obvious that there's something troubling and I want to be here for you so it doesn't continue to linger."

"Mutsu, please, I just want to be alone."

Mutsu refused to back down. She drew closer and reached for Nagato's arm.

"I can't let you be alone like this when I know that…"

"I love you!"

Suddenly, Mutsu's pursuit stopped. She retracted her arm and continued to look at Nagato with a look of concern and question.

"I know it doesn't make any sense, but it's true. I loved you in the past and I still love you now."

"What… What are you talking about? Loved," she asked with a weak voice.

"This isn't you. You were in an accident. You and I were fleet girls. We protected the seas from Abyssals who wanted to claim the mainland. During the war, we were pinned against the wall suffered a heavy defeat. This defeat also led me to be captured by the enemy force. You decided to go out on your own and bring me back. Things got ugly and as we were about to make our escape, you were shot down and sank. The situation is still blurry in my head since I don't remember certain details, but…" Nagato caught a quick glance at Mutsu and saw that she was starting to retreat. "Mutsu?"

"This doesn't make any sense. Fleet girl. Abyssals. Me sinking? What does it all mean?" Mutsu put her hands on her head and closed her eyes. "What are you saying?"

"Alright, alright. Forget about everything that I just told you. What's important is that I used to love you and you used to love me. A miracle was given to us and you were able to return to this world. I looked and looked and somehow, I managed to find you again. You had no memory of anything before coming to this city and I hoped to restore what we had."

"So you used me?"

Suddenly, Nagato was speechless. Those words hurt her more than anything else in this entire world. That wasn't what she was doing. That wasn't what she was trying to do and yet, it seemed like it. From afar, it seemed as if Nagato was using a memoryless Mutsu to try and start over.

"Mutsu, I… I would never do such a thing."

"Is that what that kiss meant?"

"Huh?"

"That kiss in the photo booth? Were you hoping that would restore my memories?"

Nagato continued to be thrown off guard. All of these questions that Mutsu was asking her seemed unreal. They were sharp and full of anger. Traits that the old Mutsu did not possess.

"No… I just… I wanted to love you again. I failed you my first time and I didn't want to make that same mistake. I wanted to show the same kind of love that you showed me. It's obvious that I'm no good at love, but I want…" Nagato suddenly started to tear up. "I love you. I've never loved anyone else before. I know you used to share these same feelings about me. Do you still not remember?"

"I think you should go."

"But Mutsu…"

"Please."

Without saying another word, Nagato left the apartment in silence. When she exited the building, she couldn't help but look up at the balcony to see Mutsu still there looking out towards the horizon. She wanted to call out to her, but she knew that that wasn't the right thing. She simply turned around and headed back to the Naval Base.

When she made it back, everyone was so happy to see her. They nearly tackled her to the ground with hugs. Since it was Nagato, this didn't go on long. She made her way to HQ to see that only Ooyodo was there.

"I'm back."

"Nagato… I'm surprised."

"I know. Things happened and I knew that this was the only place that allowed me to think straight. Where's the Admiral?"

"Oh! He, um… How do I explain this? He actually stepped down."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know, but speaking honestly, I think it's because of you and what happened to Mutsu. I think he doesn't want to cause any more heartbreak and despair to us."

"So who does that leave in charge?"

"He requested that you be in charge whenever you decided to come back."

"He knew I'd come back?"

"He just had a feeling."

"Well… if you would be so kind as to update me on what's going on, I'd really appreciate it."

"Of course," she said with a smile.

As Ooyodo broke down everything Nagato needed to know, Nagato wasn't even paying attention. Her mind was on Mutsu and what had happened between them. She told her the truth and it ended up ruining everything. She couldn't help but think that she would never be able to see her again. How could she not though? Mutsu was alive even if she wasn't the same Mutsu from before and Nagato wanted to be with her. She wanted to protect her. She knew that her efforts weren't good enough last time so she was going to make sure that she would do it right this time.

After her debriefing, her night was done. However, it wasn't actually done. She couldn't rest. She decided to head to the beach. She stood at the edge of the shore where the water barely reached her feet. The feeling of the ocean against her skin sent a soothing feeling through her body. The place that caused all of this to happen is giving her the most comforting feeling. Why was that?

"Nagato?"

Nagato turned her head and saw Yamato standing next to her in her normal comforting façade.

"Hi Yamato."

"I'm glad to see that you're back. Things haven't been the same without you."

"I know, and I'm sorry I left so suddenly. There was just… I had to do something. Unfortunately, it ended up not working out."

"You don't have to talk as if you need to avoid the topic. I know why you left. How is she?"

At that moment, Nagato's eyes started to tear as she collapsed onto her knees.

"She's still so perfect. Why does she have to be so perfect? Why does this have to happen to me?" Yamato watched Nagato shed her tears into the ocean. All she did was rest her hand on her shoulder and smiled.

"It's because you're the strongest one. No one else can go through what you've been through and it all makes you stronger. I know it's not what you want, but you must be strong. If you give up now, your efforts will have been for naught. You're my inspiration Nagato. Don't lose sight of what you truly want."

With that, she threw her parasol over her shoulder and walked off. Meanwhile, Nagato stopped her crying and looked at her hands.

"What I truly want? What do I want?"

End of Chapter 12


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